Down Goes Sosa

By Josh Herwitt - August 29, 2007

Word got out yesterday from the Associated Press that Louisville point guard Edgar Sosa will be out for a maximum of four weeks after spraining his ankle on Monday.

The New York City native, who finished second on the team in scoring last season at 11.4 points per game, injured the ankle when he came down on another player's foot and rolled it during a pickup game.

While Sosa should be ready in time for the Cardinals' season-opener, Rick Pitino will have Louisville battling defending champ Georgetown and Roy Hibbert for a Big East crown by the time the calendar reads March.

And the Hall of Fame coach will certainly need Sosa to be a part of that run after the 6-foot-1 sophomore came up with a team-high 44 steals and dished out 89 assists in his first season at Louisville.

Illinois Loses Top-Tier Recruit

Bad news was delivered to Illinois coach Bruce Weber Tuesday when he found out that his top recruit Quinton Watkins will not be joining the Fighting Illini this season after being ruled academically ineligible.

A Top 100 recruit hailing from Inglewood, Calif., Watkins has been attending high school classes at home for the past week in the event that his transcript did not pass NCAA inspections.

In the meantime, Watkins could attend junior college or prep school or even enroll at Illinois in January, which would leave him his eligibility to play for the Illini in January.

But with Jamar Smith filing for a redshirt last week, Weber will have a thin lineup of guards to work with until then, as Chester Frazier returns to lead a backcourt that consists of Demetri McCamey, Trent Meacham, Steve Holdren, Calvin Brock and Chris Hicks.

McCamey, in particular, could prove to be an immediate contributor for Weber after garnering national attention last season at St. Joseph High School in Westchester, Ill.